Landing Pages can be amazing for conversions when done right. Unlike the rest of your website, they can be highly targeted and convert your audience in a way a generic page can’t.

But what about the times they fail at converting?

What about those times you work hard to bring traffic to a landing page that doesn’t bring you results?

That’s when it starts getting frustrating.

Conversion Optimization (also known as CRO) is more of a science than an art. You need to test – a lot, and your decisions should be data-driven and backed by research. Simply following best practices isn’t enough. What worked for others might work or NOT for you. The biggest mistake I see people making is implementing best practices without testing the impact on their own business and context.

Here are 3 tweaks you can TEST right now to optimize your conversions.

Remember, not only you need to test a lot, but you also need to understand the logic behind this type of best practices. That’s why I’m not going to provide you with yet another checklist of best practices. Instead, here are suggestions of tweaks you can experiment with.

1) The Call-to-action Copy Tweak

If you don’t even have a call-to-action, it’s time to change that now! Asking your users to take action is fundamental, or else how are they supposed to know what you want them to do?

If you do have a call-to-action, great job. You need to know that the visuals, colors, and positioning can make a difference but it’s not only about that. What’s written is also important.

A good call-to-action will be:

a) clear and straight to the point: don’t get your users confused. It needs to be clear what’ll happen when they click on that button before they actually do it. This is a basic principle of good User Experience (though a good user experience doesn’t automatically translate into conversions).

b) benefit-focused: focus on what your users will get. Make it more about them, and less about you. What will they get if they contact you? A free strategy call? What will they get if they subscribe? A free download? Focus on the benefits for your users.

c) action-oriented: it might sound obvious but the text needs to make it clear that you’re asking people to take action.

With these basic principles in mind, start experimenting to understand how your audience responds to different call-to-actions and messages.

If you don’t have enough traffic to run A/B testing, you can still reach out to your audience: don’t make excuses. In my Landing Page Optimization Academy I go into more detail on how you can do this.

2) The Above the Fold Tweak

I know, I know what you’re going to say. We’re in 2019, everyone knows the meaning of scrolling down.

But…

Would you scroll down if the content didn’t grab your attention?

Same as you probably wouldn’t read more if the headline of the article didn’t pique your interest, right?

Even though long-form content can work for some landing pages, the first thing your visitors will see is still what is above the fold. This is your chance to capture their attention. Don’t forget to pay attention to mobile, so that the attention-grabbing content is also above the fold on mobile devices.

And how can a quick tweak transform your above-the-fold content you ask?

a) Test your headline: Not only from a copy point of view but design too. Can you see how the title of this post is bold and prominent? Your headline needs to clearly communicate the value for your audience.

b) Move the main call-to-action above the fold.

I can’t stress this enough: When it comes to persuasive landing pages, design is as important as copy.

3) Add Social Proof

The oldest trick in the book is not really a trick.

Social proof works. It’s backed by research & social psychology findings.

Adding social proof to your landing page can be done in many different ways.

Just a few examples:

a) Testimonials: this is still one of the most efficient ways to generate trust. They NEED to be genuine. If you try to trick your users in any way, you risk losing their trust forever.

b) Mentions(“as seen in, “as featured in”): have you been featured or mentioned by the media? You could feature their logos on your page to increase trust, bonus points for relevant links.

c) Number of loyal fans, customers, subscribers, etc: it’s no surprise that people look at numbers in social media. Well, numbers matter on your website as well. Did 3.2 million people join your newsletter? Maybe I’d like to sign up too!

Your website and landing pages are never finished. Optimizing for conversions requires you to plan the right optimization strategy. There are heuristics, best practices, and psychology principles that you can apply – but they’re of no use if you can’t understand the context and logic behind.

Luckily for you, there’s an easy way to get started. After having worked with several agencies and companies of all sizes, including co-leading the Mobile UX initiative at Google in Portugal, I’ve now created a simplified curriculum for anyone who wants to start creating landing pages that convert – even if you’re not a designer, and much less a copywriter. If that’s you, check out my Landing Page Optimization Academy.